Catenaa, Sunday, February 08, 2026- Automakers are largely sitting out of the advertising in the Super Bowl amid uncertainty in the US automotive industry involving sales, tariffs, and regulations.
Carmakers, historically major buyers of ads during the big game, have been inconsistent with advertising during the Super Bowl in recent years, with only a handful putting out spots each year.
Automakers accounted for 40% of Super Bowl ad minutes in 2012, but dropped all the way to 7% by 2025, according to iSpot. Only three automakers are expected to air ads, totaling roughly two minutes, during this year’s game.
The decline corresponds with instability in the automotive industry. That turmoil started in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic and supply chain issues and continued more recently with tariffs and pullbacks in all-electric vehicles that have cost companies billions of dollars.
General Motors, Toyota Motor and Volkswagen are the only automakers expected to advertise Sunday during Super Bowl 60 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
Chrysler parent Stellantis was the only automaker to advertise during the big game last year, with two ads that were a total of three minutes.
Outside of the Super Bowl, automakers have increased sports advertising and embraced more streaming and regional advertising over national reach, according to iSpot.
Automotive executives who spoke to CNBC about not advertising during this year’s Super Bowl said they were deterred due to the cost, $8 million on average for a 30-second ad, and felt their ad dollars would be better spent elsewhere.
“We are going to really spread our efforts, so money and creativity, over a year,” Stellantis Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Francois, who is well known for past Super Bowl ads told CNBC. “There’s no need for a peak or something in February.”
